However, don't let the box office numbers stop you from showing up. The new movie is directed by Denis Villeneuve, who helmedlast year’s critically adored Arrival and also Sicario. It stars everyone’s favorite contemporary leading man Ryan Gosling, once again sporting fire outerwear. And it boasts a supporting appearance from the movie’s original star, Harrison Ford. And, most importantly, all that budget and the talent involved did result in a truly great film.

Blade Runner 2049 is a spectacle. Villeneuve has proven himself to be a director comfortable around stunning visuals, but on this outing he outdoes himself exponentially, designing environments and setpieces a major blockbuster hasn't touched since... Well, since Blade Runner, to be frank. And, more than that, it's shot by the god Roger Deakins, the go-to shooter for the Coen Brothers, Sam Mendes, and, now, Villeneuve. Which is to say: These two did it big, and it's a movie meant to be seen on a big screen. It will never look better than in a theater, so you should take your chance while you've got it.

If you liked the original, which was something of a cult classic before it ballooned into widespread acclaim over the past few decades, then you will love this movie. It’s easily in the top five of the year so far, and it’s more deserving of your $20 than most of the shit that came out recently. With the box office numbers that it's shown so far, there’s no telling how long it’ll stay in theaters, so if you give a fuck about still seeing things on the big screen and not just waiting for Netflix, you absolutely should make every effort to see Blade Runner 2049 as soon as possible—if only to make sure that Hollywood bets on making a big budget film as ambitious as this again. Peep the video above for our take on why.

Show Video Transcript

Transcript

What’s up guys, Frazier here for Complex News.

The numbers are officially in and they are low...Blade Runner 2049, the new, 35 year-later sequel to Ridley Scott’s timeless 1982 classic, kind of bricked it at the box office. The new movie is directed by Denis Villeneuve, who helmed last year’s critically adored Arrival and also Sicario. It stars everyone’s favorite contemporary leading man Ryan Gosling, once again sporting fire outerwear. And it boasts a supporting appearance from the movie’s original star, Harrison Ford. All the pieces were there to make this a great, buzzworthy film.

Maybe it didn’t buzz hard enough: the film only brought in an estimated 36.7 million at the box office over what’s still considered a holiday weekend despite being dedicated to a piece of shit. That’s well below the opening weekend projections of $50 million and very, very far off from the budget of $150 million.

But you know what? What’s most important is, all that budget and the talent involved did result in a truly great film. Blade Runner 2049 is a spectacle. If you liked the original, which was something of a cult classic before it ballooned into widespread acclaim, then you will love this movie. It’s easily in the top 5 of the year so far, and it’s more deserving of your $20 than most of the shit that came out recently. With box office numbers like that, there’s no telling how long it’ll stay in theaters, but here’s why, if you give a fuck about still seeing things on the big screen you absolutely should make every effort to see Blade Runner 2049.

Acclaimed cinematographer Roger Deakins, showed his ass in this movie. All praise to Denis who I’ve considered an auteur-in-the-making since his 2014 film Enemy, But Deakins has helped bring some of the most visually striking movies ever to life in the past few decades, and 2049 is his masterpiece. Somehow the man has never won an Oscar yet, but this feels like his moment.

Some of the wide shots in this movie look like they belong in the MET, and I don’t care what size TV you have in the crib...nothing is going to do this cinematography justice the way an IMAX theater will.

This isn’t a formal review or anything, but the film is definitely worth the 81 Metacritic score it has right now. The cast is stacked: Ryan Gosling does some of his best work as his character unravels a mystery that only gets more personal and intimate with the more he uncovers. Harrison Ford is more than a glorified cameo, and brings real pathos to his reprisal of Deckard...some of the movie’s biggest dramatic moments hinge on him and he more than delivers. Robin Wright is quietly fantastic as Gosling’s steely boss and I had no idea who Sylvia Hoeks was before this but she damn near steals the film as the bad guy.

The rumors are true...it is indeed very long, but it’s never boring. Again, if you liked the OG Blade Runner then you will love this. The story and themes of identity, humanity and worth are just ramped up and explored even deeper. And for the purists, it doesn’t turn Blade Runner into a big, loud action blockbuster either. There’s action sure, but it’s restrained and tasteful.

Box office trends and opening weekends and contextualizing ticket sales by season and year all still matter a great deal. The numbers are reported on ad nauseum and that data can make or break future choices in Hollywood. We owe every bad sequel ever made to box office numbers, and on the flip side, it’s kind of scary to think about Blade Runner actually flopping and how that could influence executives in greenlighting films like this in the future.

If you’re tired of every 9-figure budget movie being reserved for superheroes or a YA franchise, then we gotta support smart, visually striking thought-provoking blockbusters like this. Yes, it’s a sequel, but it’s very much an intelligent film that’s in the rare position of not being marketed to teenagers first.

So that’s my spiel...sure, I saw Blade Runner for free a few weeks ago, but I am definitely planning to put my money where my mouth is and go support it in theaters. For Complex, I’m Frazier and and coming November 4th and 5th is the Second Annual Complex Con, where we bring all things Complex to life. Catch live performances, score some exclusive fits, take in informative panels, and crush some delicious grub. Cop your tickets at Complexcon.com/tickets now.

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